English Chess Forum

I am a novice player, and its been recommended to study my chess books alongside a real chess set.
This is probably excellent advice as I still need the algebraic notation on a board!!!

I will be doing my studying between the canteen in work and home after the kids are in bed. I have two large chess sets, but I would like someone to recommend their favourite portable|analysis set. Your reasoning why you like it would be good.

As it has to be an internet order from Liverpool, a recommendation is best as I won't be able to try it out.
Thanks in advance

Actually I'd be interested in hearing answers to this too.

Chess & Bridge used to sell really good dark green/light green sets in various sizes. I've got an a4 clipboard set but they also had a good a5/fold in half set too. They don't seem to do them any more though and I don't like the 3-way-fold pocket set they sell at the moment.

...

James Byrne wrote:This is the chess set I've used for just over a year now (whilst studying): http://www.regencychess.co.uk/12-inch-f ... -p-14.html, it's a bit pricey for a 12 inch board,

That's nice but cannot justify that level of investment at the moment.

This is the kind of thing I have been looking at...

http://www.chessbaron.co.uk/chess-T2017.htm

or

http://www.chessbaron.co.uk/chess-T2023.htm

or

http://www.chessbaron.co.uk/chess-T2014.htm

If you want cheap, go for flat magnetic pieces rather than carved wooden ones. The main choice, though, is between magnetic or pegged. If you will be using the board in a travel situation where magnetic pieces might fall off or get knocked off and lost, then I'd go for a pegged set, and one where you can store the set with a position on the board (you can't really do this with magnetic pieces unless they are the flat ones mentioned earlier). I tend not to use portable chess sets much, though. I usually work from an analysis diagram and make notes, calculating in my head, and then check the notes on a board when I get home. It encourages the mental calculation needed at the board, and the temptation to move the pieces is avoided.

Hey, just come across these three boards that seem very cheap!

Anyone got experience of any of these?

http://www.ukgamesshop.com/Merchant2/me ... _Code=chtr


http://www.ukgamesshop.com/Merchant2/me ... _Code=chtr



http://www.ukgamesshop.com/Merchant2/me ... _Code=chtr


Thanks in advance

Those are the three types I was talking about. Flat, symbol magnetic pieces. Raised, proper magnetic pieces. Pegged pieces. I think the pegged pieces can get loose with time and age, so that is one downside. Honestly, just buy all three and sell the ones you don't like on eBay. Or go to a chess shop and try them out.

Love the flat boards with plastic magnetic pieces, but it'll be a miracle if you manage to keep the full set of pieces for five years. I've had to cannabalise three of them, pieces all different sizes, just to keep one full set. Never used to like the peg sets, but now wouldn't do without my little wooden hinged wooden peg board.

Referring specifically to the magnetic flat illustrated, I think I dislike it at sight. The black pieces should be solid black with white lines, rather than solid white with solid black. Slightly jarring effect, that.

It is a tragedy that the old "Twin Portland" Sets are no longer made. They were of cardboard with slots for cardboard slip in men. Having two sets together side by side made them great for correspondence chess - you could keep the position on one board, while analysing on the other. I had some 20 of them at one time, kept in a convenient loose-leaf folder. I probably show my age when I say that you could buy them for about 2 shillings back in the 50s. Does anybody else remember them?

Paul Bielby wrote:They were of cardboard with slots for cardboard slip in men ... Does anybody else remember them?

I bought an old book on eBay a few months ago which contained one of those cardboard slot-in sets inside its back cover. It folded out so that the set was accessible whilst reading any page in the book.

A couple of years ago I bought a couple dozen folding magnetic sets with the flat pieces from Edward Labate in the US. I've been giving them out as prizes at junior tournaments since then and I'm down to my last two. They aren't the best I've ever used, but they were cheap and better than many. The London Chess Centre sells them for a fiver: http://tinyurl.com/3ejmcu9

A very important consideration, and one where many travelling / analysis sets fall down, is where the pieces go once they've been captured. If the answer is "in your hand" or "on the table" then you will soon lose them. The Edward Labate sets fail this test as the non-combative pieces are supposed to be stored in hopelessly inadequate pockets attached to the board. An extra inch of magnetic on either side works much better.

My personal favourite analysis sets are the rather expensive green and yellow ones available at most tournament equipment stalls. I've had several over the years and they've proven to be shatterproof, beer-proof and mostly resilient to having games played by sub 120s recreated on them. Rather surprisingly, I can't find a picture online, but I'm sure you know what I mean. A large one will cost close to £15 but will last for years and some equipment sellers (e.g. Tim Onions) will replace lost pieces at little or no cost.

That third one is the three-way fold one that I don't like. It is cheap but the board gets grubby very quickly and there's no space to put captured pieces (there's a vinyl pocket but the fall out).


Flat/magnetic non-plug in is my preference. Just haven't found a good one for years.

J

guyhayton wrote:Hey, just come across these three boards that seem very cheap!

Anyone got experience of any of these?

http://www.ukgamesshop.com/Merchant2/me ... _Code=chtr


http://www.ukgamesshop.com/Merchant2/me ... _Code=chtr



http://www.ukgamesshop.com/Merchant2/me ... _Code=chtr


Thanks in advance

Jonathan Bryant wrote:That third one is the three-way fold one that I don't like. It is cheap but the board gets grubby very quickly and there's no space to put captured pieces (there's a vinyl pocket but the fall out).

I've got the third one. Not that i use it very much, but my only real objection is that the black king is all wrong!

Jon D'Souza-Eva wrote:

Paul Bielby wrote:They were of cardboard with slots for cardboard slip in men ... Does anybody else remember them?

I bought an old book on eBay a few months ago which contained one of those cardboard slot-in sets inside its back cover. It folded out so that the set was accessible whilst reading any page in the book.

I found the book - "Adventure in Chess" by Assiac (Heinrich Fraenkel):
With the set open and reading the book
With the set closed

Jon D'Souza-Eva wrote:I found the book - "Adventure in Chess" by Assiac (Heinrich Fraenkel)

Looks an interesting book.

"Even Chess Players are Human"

Followed by a chapter on brevities.